Thursday, May 20, 2010

There is a boy at my school who reminds me everyday why I teach. This child often has a reputation that proceeds him and I can't say that it is a good one. He goes to the office regularly, misses recess time, and at assemblies you can bet he is sitting next to the teacher. He runs up and down the hallway, he doesn't listen to the teacher, and he is always talking. He is all to often referred to as "one of those kids." He is the child that teachers hope don't end up in their class. Yet, while they are over there hoping they don't get him, I am sitting here praying I do.

I have gotten to know this child from all the time I "had" to sit next to him at assemblies, or had him in my room when he was kicked out of his. I have gotten to know him through helping him at lunch, or just seeing him in the hallway. This child hugs me everyday, and when he goes through the lunch line he is often the only one to say thank you. If I am sick for a day he will always find me when I return to tell me he missed me, and ask if I am ok. Sure he gets in trouble, but kids are smart they know how you feel about them, and this child just needs someone who cares. So yea he went to the office on Friday for hitting a kid, but did you talk to him and find out the reason he hit the kid was that the kid steals his things and throws them on the ground or in the trash everyday? Probably not, because people are to busy referring to him as "one of those kids" instead of looking inside him and seeing he is indeed "one of those kids" the kind that can shine!

I have decided to start blogging. I am interested in doing some freelance articles for teaching and parenting websites, and almost all of them want links to blogs you have, so here I am.

I submitted an article this morning, on how to keep your kid from regressing over summer vacation. Did you know kids on average lose 2.6 months of math skills just over summer break? That is insane! I personally think year round school with three different times of getting a month break would be better than a 3 month break over the summer, but I know I am the odd man out in that thought amongst teachers.

I think it would be awesome to write articles about cloth diapers, breastfeeding, or positive discipline.

I think I could just about write a book on why teachers should be using more active learning in the classroom and introducing more forms of technology. I know sometimes I am so tempted to say "Hey you, sitting there at your desk, you see how all your students have their heads down and are looking around? Yea that means you are not reaching them!" or "You know that loud class you complain about down the hall, do you realize how much they are learning in there? Yes the reason they come in here and are still talking about it is.... LEARNING IS FUN! or at least it should be."

Anyway, keep a lookout for more blogs and random thoughts coming out soon!